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Joshua 19-21
New Living Translation
Joshua 19-21
New Living Translation
The Land Given to Simeon
19 The second allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Simeon. Their homeland was surrounded by Judah’s territory.
2 Simeon’s homeland included Beersheba, Sheba, Moladah, 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen towns with their surrounding villages. 7 It also included Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four towns with their villages, 8 including all the surrounding villages as far south as Baalath-beer (also known as Ramah of the Negev).
This was the homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Simeon. 9 Their allocation of land came from part of what had been given to Judah because Judah’s territory was too large for them. So the tribe of Simeon received an allocation within the territory of Judah.
The Land Given to Zebulun
10 The third allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Zebulun.
The boundary of Zebulun’s homeland started at Sarid. 11 From there it went west, going past Maralah, touching Dabbesheth, and proceeding to the brook east of Jokneam. 12 In the other direction, the boundary went east from Sarid to the border of Kisloth-tabor, and from there to Daberath and up to Japhia. 13 Then it continued east to Gath-hepher, Eth-kazin, and Rimmon and turned toward Neah. 14 The northern boundary of Zebulun passed Hannathon and ended at the valley of Iphtah-el. 15 The towns in these areas included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem—twelve towns with their surrounding villages.
16 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Zebulun included these towns and their surrounding villages.
The Land Given to Issachar
17 The fourth allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Issachar.
18 Its boundaries included the following towns: Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and Beth-pazzez. 22 The boundary also touched Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, ending at the Jordan River—sixteen towns with their surrounding villages.
23 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Issachar included these towns and their surrounding villages.
The Land Given to Asher
24 The fifth allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Asher.
25 Its boundaries included these towns: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Acshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. The boundary on the west touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath, 27 then it turned east toward Beth-dagon, and ran as far as Zebulun in the valley of Iphtah-el, going north to Beth-emek and Neiel. It then continued north to Cabul, 28 Abdon,[a] Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, and as far as Greater Sidon. 29 Then the boundary turned toward Ramah and the fortress of Tyre, where it turned toward Hosah and came to the Mediterranean Sea.[b] The territory also included Mehebel, Aczib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob—twenty-two towns with their surrounding villages.
31 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Asher included these towns and their surrounding villages.
The Land Given to Naphtali
32 The sixth allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Naphtali.
33 Its boundary ran from Heleph, from the oak at Zaanannim, and extended across to Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, and as far as Lakkum, ending at the Jordan River. 34 The western boundary ran past Aznoth-tabor, then to Hukkok, and touched the border of Zebulun in the south, the border of Asher on the west, and the Jordan River[c] on the east. 35 The fortified towns included in this territory were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Kinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh—nineteen towns with their surrounding villages.
39 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Naphtali included these towns and their surrounding villages.
The Land Given to Dan
40 The seventh allotment of land went to the clans of the tribe of Dan.
41 The land allocated as their homeland included the following towns: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 Me-jarkon, Rakkon, and the territory across from Joppa.
47 But the tribe of Dan had trouble taking possession of their land,[d] so they attacked the town of Laish.[e] They captured it, slaughtered its people, and settled there. They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor.
48 The homeland allocated to the clans of the tribe of Dan included these towns and their surrounding villages.
The Land Given to Joshua
49 After all the land was divided among the tribes, the Israelites gave a piece of land to Joshua as his allocation. 50 For the Lord had said he could have any town he wanted. He chose Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the town and lived there.
51 These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the tribal leaders allocated as grants of land to the tribes of Israel by casting sacred lots in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle[f] at Shiloh. So the division of the land was completed.
The Cities of Refuge
20 The Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses. 3 Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed.
4 “Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the death will appear before the elders at the city gate and present his case. They must allow him to enter the city and give him a place to live among them. 5 If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility. 6 But the slayer must stay in that city and be tried by the local assembly, which will render a judgment. And he must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, he is free to return to his own home in the town from which he fled.”
7 The following cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah. 8 On the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho, the following cities were designated: Bezer, in the wilderness plain of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These cities were set apart for all the Israelites as well as the foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed another person could take refuge in one of these cities. In this way, they could escape being killed in revenge prior to standing trial before the local assembly.
The Towns Given to the Levites
21 Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to consult with Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the other tribes of Israel. 2 They came to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us towns to live in and pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So by the command of the Lord the people of Israel gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own grants of land.
4 The descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, were allotted thirteen towns that were originally assigned to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The other families of the Kohathite clan were allotted ten towns from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 The clan of Gershon was allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The clan of Merari was allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 So the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s command to Moses and assigned these towns and pasturelands to the Levites by casting sacred lots.
9 The Israelites gave the following towns from the tribes of Judah and Simeon 10 to the descendants of Aaron, who were members of the Kohathite clan within the tribe of Levi, since the sacred lot fell to them first: 11 Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasturelands. (Arba was an ancestor of Anak.) 12 But the open fields beyond the town and the surrounding villages were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.
13 The following towns with their pasturelands were given to the descendants of Aaron the priest: Hebron (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine towns from these two tribes.
17 From the tribe of Benjamin the priests were given the following towns with their pasturelands: Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth, and Almon—four towns. 19 So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron.
20 The rest of the Kohathite clan from the tribe of Levi was allotted the following towns and pasturelands from the tribe of Ephraim: 21 Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Gezer, 22 Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four towns.
23 The following towns and pasturelands were allotted to the priests from the tribe of Dan: Eltekeh, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four towns.
25 The half-tribe of Manasseh allotted the following towns with their pasturelands to the priests: Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two towns. 26 So in all, ten towns with their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clan.
27 The descendants of Gershon, another clan within the tribe of Levi, received the following towns with their pasturelands from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone) and Be-eshterah—two towns.
28 From the tribe of Issachar they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four towns.
30 From the tribe of Asher they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath, and Rehob—four towns.
32 From the tribe of Naphtali they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three towns. 33 So in all, thirteen towns with their pasturelands were allotted to the clan of Gershon.
34 The rest of the Levites—the Merari clan—were given the following towns with their pasturelands from the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah, and Nahalal—four towns.
36 From the tribe of Reuben they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Bezer, Jahaz,[g] 37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four towns.
38 From the tribe of Gad they received the following towns with their pasturelands: Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for those who accidentally killed someone), Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon, and Jazer—four towns. 40 So in all, twelve towns were allotted to the clan of Merari.
41 The total number of towns and pasturelands within Israelite territory given to the Levites came to forty-eight. 42 Every one of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it.
43 So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. 45 Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.
Footnotes
- 19:28 As in some Hebrew manuscripts (see also 21:30); most Hebrew manuscripts read Ebron.
- 19:29 Hebrew the sea.
- 19:34 Hebrew and Judah at the Jordan River.
- 19:47a Or had trouble holding on to their land.
- 19:47b Hebrew Leshem, a variant spelling of Laish.
- 19:51 Hebrew Tent of Meeting.
- 21:36 Hebrew Jahzah, a variant spelling of Jahaz.
Joshua 19-21
New International Version
Joshua 19-21
New International Version
Allotment for Simeon(A)
19 The second lot came out for the tribe of Simeon according to its clans. Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah.(B) 2 It included:
Beersheba(C) (or Sheba),[a] Moladah,(D) 3 Hazar Shual,(E) Balah, Ezem,(F) 4 Eltolad,(G) Bethul, Hormah,(H) 5 Ziklag,(I) Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susah, 6 Beth Lebaoth and Sharuhen—thirteen towns and their villages;
7 Ain, Rimmon,(J) Ether and Ashan(K)—four towns and their villages— 8 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath Beer (Ramah in the Negev).(L)
This was the inheritance of the tribe of the Simeonites, according to its clans. 9 The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah,(M) because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah.(N)
Allotment for Zebulun
10 The third lot came up for Zebulun(O) according to its clans:
The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid.(P) 11 Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam.(Q) 12 It turned east from Sarid(R) toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath(S) and up to Japhia. 13 Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher(T) and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon(U) and turned toward Neah. 14 There the boundary went around on the north to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtah El.(V) 15 Included were Kattath, Nahalal,(W) Shimron,(X) Idalah and Bethlehem.(Y) There were twelve towns and their villages.
16 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of Zebulun,(Z) according to its clans.(AA)
Allotment for Issachar
17 The fourth lot came out for Issachar(AB) according to its clans. 18 Their territory included:
Jezreel,(AC) Kesulloth, Shunem,(AD) 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion,(AE) Ebez, 21 Remeth, En Gannim,(AF) En Haddah and Beth Pazzez. 22 The boundary touched Tabor,(AG) Shahazumah and Beth Shemesh,(AH) and ended at the Jordan. There were sixteen towns and their villages.
23 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar,(AI) according to its clans.(AJ)
Allotment for Asher
24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher(AK) according to its clans. 25 Their territory included:
Helkath, Hali, Beten, Akshaph,(AL) 26 Allammelek, Amad and Mishal.(AM) On the west the boundary touched Carmel(AN) and Shihor Libnath. 27 It then turned east toward Beth Dagon,(AO) touched Zebulun(AP) and the Valley of Iphtah El,(AQ) and went north to Beth Emek and Neiel, passing Kabul(AR) on the left. 28 It went to Abdon,[b](AS) Rehob,(AT) Hammon(AU) and Kanah,(AV) as far as Greater Sidon.(AW) 29 The boundary then turned back toward Ramah(AX) and went to the fortified city of Tyre,(AY) turned toward Hosah and came out at the Mediterranean Sea(AZ) in the region of Akzib,(BA) 30 Ummah, Aphek(BB) and Rehob.(BC) There were twenty-two towns and their villages.
31 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Asher,(BD) according to its clans.
Allotment for Naphtali
32 The sixth lot came out for Naphtali according to its clans:
33 Their boundary went from Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim,(BE) passing Adami Nekeb and Jabneel(BF) to Lakkum and ending at the Jordan. 34 The boundary ran west through Aznoth Tabor and came out at Hukkok.(BG) It touched Zebulun(BH) on the south, Asher on the west and the Jordan[c] on the east. 35 The fortified towns were Ziddim, Zer, Hammath,(BI) Rakkath, Kinnereth,(BJ) 36 Adamah, Ramah,(BK) Hazor,(BL) 37 Kedesh,(BM) Edrei,(BN) En Hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal El, Horem, Beth Anath(BO) and Beth Shemesh.(BP) There were nineteen towns and their villages.
39 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali, according to its clans.(BQ)
Allotment for Dan
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans. 41 The territory of their inheritance included:
Zorah, Eshtaol,(BR) Ir Shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon,(BS) Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah,(BT) Ekron,(BU) 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon,(BV) Baalath,(BW) 45 Jehud, Bene Berak, Gath Rimmon,(BX) 46 Me Jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa.(BY)
47 (When the territory of the Danites was lost to them,(BZ) they went up and attacked Leshem(CA), took it, put it to the sword and occupied it. They settled in Leshem and named(CB) it Dan after their ancestor.)(CC)
48 These towns and their villages were the inheritance of the tribe of Dan,(CD) according to its clans.
Allotment for Joshua
49 When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, 50 as the Lord had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for—Timnath Serah[d](CE) in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.
51 These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun and the heads of the tribal clans of Israel assigned by lot at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And so they finished dividing(CF) the land.(CG)
Cities of Refuge(CH)
20 Then the Lord said to Joshua: 2 “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally(CI) may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.(CJ) 4 When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate(CK) and state their case before the elders(CL) of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. 5 If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. 6 They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly(CM) and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”
7 So they set apart Kedesh(CN) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem(CO) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba(CP) (that is, Hebron(CQ)) in the hill country of Judah.(CR) 8 East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer(CS) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead(CT) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan(CU) in the tribe of Manasseh. 9 Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally(CV) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.(CW)
Towns for the Levites(CX)
21 Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel(CY) 2 at Shiloh(CZ) in Canaan and said to them, “The Lord commanded through Moses that you give us towns(DA) to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.”(DB) 3 So, as the Lord had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:
4 The first lot came out for the Kohathites,(DC) according to their clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.(DD) 5 The rest of Kohath’s descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan and half of Manasseh.(DE)
6 The descendants of Gershon(DF) were allotted thirteen towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar,(DG) Asher,(DH) Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The descendants of Merari,(DI) according to their clans, received twelve(DJ) towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.(DK)
8 So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these towns and their pasturelands, as the Lord had commanded through Moses.
9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon they allotted the following towns by name 10 (these towns were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them):
11 They gave them Kiriath Arba(DL) (that is, Hebron(DM)), with its surrounding pastureland, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) 12 But the fields and villages around the city they had given to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession.(DN)
13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron (a city of refuge(DO) for one accused of murder), Libnah,(DP) 14 Jattir,(DQ) Eshtemoa,(DR) 15 Holon,(DS) Debir,(DT) 16 Ain,(DU) Juttah(DV) and Beth Shemesh,(DW) together with their pasturelands—nine towns from these two tribes.
17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon,(DX) Geba,(DY) 18 Anathoth(DZ) and Almon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.
19 The total number of towns(EA) for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.(EB)
20 The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:
21 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem(EC) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer,(ED) 22 Kibzaim and Beth Horon,(EE) together with their pasturelands—four towns.(EF)
23 Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon,(EG) 24 Aijalon(EH) and Gath Rimmon,(EI) together with their pasturelands—four towns.
25 From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach(EJ) and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns.
26 All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.(EK)
27 The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:
from the half-tribe of Manasseh,
Golan in Bashan(EL) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder(EM)) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;
28 from the tribe of Issachar,(EN)
Kishion,(EO) Daberath,(EP) 29 Jarmuth(EQ) and En Gannim,(ER) together with their pasturelands—four towns;
30 from the tribe of Asher,(ES)
32 from the tribe of Naphtali,
Kedesh(EW) in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder(EX)), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.
33 The total number of towns of the Gershonite(EY) clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.
34 The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:
from the tribe of Zebulun,(EZ)
Jokneam,(FA) Kartah, 35 Dimnah and Nahalal,(FB) together with their pasturelands—four towns;
36 from the tribe of Reuben,
38 from the tribe of Gad,
Ramoth(FF) in Gilead(FG) (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim,(FH) 39 Heshbon and Jazer,(FI) together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.
40 The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.(FJ)
41 The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands.(FK) 42 Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors,(FL) and they took possession(FM) of it and settled there.(FN) 44 The Lord gave them rest(FO) on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies(FP) withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies(FQ) into their hands.(FR) 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises(FS) to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Footnotes
- Joshua 19:2 Or Beersheba, Sheba; 1 Chron. 4:28 does not have Sheba.
- Joshua 19:28 Some Hebrew manuscripts (see also 21:30); most Hebrew manuscripts Ebron
- Joshua 19:34 Septuagint; Hebrew west, and Judah, the Jordan,
- Joshua 19:50 Also known as Timnath Heres (see Judges 2:9)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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